The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-04-15

for something like their real value. When
the thief gets his bit that is, his share of
the ''sWag,' stolen property, he generally
puts it in ''Sparks;' if he doesn't get his
bit" he is "done ou- Of it, or put in the
hole When he has his bit" he is flying
high" but his soaring, may put the detec,
tlves Ion to him" and they promptly hip
OF pinch him, md he then enjoys a fall.
Then he condemns himself for sucker,
or worse still, a "chump, and kicks himself
when he remembers the crooks motto that
There's sucker born everyday in the year,
and he's one of them. Honest people are
straight but the thief believes that every
body wants to make money, aud that every
one is ''out of the stuff" This being the
case, he's out for it, too, and he is an easy
money man Detectives, lie declares, don't
hesitate to ''shakc down a thief who has
any money, and give him hours" to skip"
out of town that he may not tell of it.
Money is either good or queer" or
'cOney" A cOunterfeiGer is a 'coney man"
or 'kOniacker;n he has men who sell it, and
they are dealers" those who circulate it
''shove the queer" A ''headworker" plans
criminal operations, the ''capper' encour-
ages the 'sucler" (victnn) to put his money
into fraudulent schemes and the ''steerer"
picks up men on the street and leads them
to places where they can get skinned"
The victims pocketbook is his Leather"
and though the crook who ''niclls' the
suckers" leather steals but trash he
who would steal his ''monekasn steals that
which is dearer to him than life itself. This
is crooks paraphrase of famous Shak-
Sperean passage When the victim loses his
money he is generally very much excited,
and tries to get it back, which operation is
indicated by declaring that he came belly
aching after it.
The chief person of any assemblage is the
y
The 'officeH is a warning of any kind to
look out. 1t used to be kind of clearing of
the throat to spit, but that was worn out. 1t
would attract thietS attention almost any
time. A cough will do as well. When the
office is given and answered, then the
one giving it knows that the other is
''tumbled," and that some one is ''onto
Them If he doesn't tumble he is liable to
get ''sloughed up. e., put in prison
stop talking. Cheese weeden" or ''niXey
weeden" stop talking slang. "Patter flash"
was the old time for talking slang, but it
has died out The burglars tools are nip
pers," or ''tongs," or "outsiders" for open
ing doors from the outside, the ''iimmy, a
kind of bar when long or chisel when short,
to pry open ''jiggers," doors or
The officer who goes with crooks to get
their secrets is pigeon" but doesn't
generally front up" until long after
the gang has been pinched" and they
are brought up to ''tUlly" trial. Under
the circumstances the best defense is to
claim that the defective is ''jobbing" them,
that is swearing their liberty or life away.
| The warden of the penitentiary is a head
screw" and the others are subordinate
screws" Most thieves believe that they
wouldn't have been caught if they had been
alone in jobs or if they hadn't been assOciat-
| ing with some unlucky Jonah" an appl-
cation of a biblical incident in a rather I'M
expected place, for thieves don't often at
| tend the gospel mills where the Bible is
expounded by the ''patter coves" or ''steeple
| guys" 1t is written that all men shall die,
but the Crook does not He ''croaks'' or gets
crooked 0ulled), and after his ''stiff" has
been duly walked he is taken out and
planted" by his pals" who afterward
speak of him, if regretfully, as engaged in
the cheerful and beneficial occupation Of
| pushing Clouds" or, if he was unpopular,
as doing his long time" Others have a
worse fate still They become buggy" and
are sent to the ''bug house" insane asylum.
| Others double up" (get married. and
square it" (reform), but they are only
| about per cent.
The samples above are but a few. A
large book indeed would be a complete
slang dictionary. Several of these have
been published at various times, and those
who desire to learn how to talk under
cover can pursue these studies further by
perIlsing one of those valuable volumes.